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Hi there. I'm a guy who likes writing adventures and I have a few questions pertaining to some specific monsters.
As soon as I got my hands on Strange Aeons part six, I fell in love with the concepts of Cassilda and the Pallid Mask. As I am writing an adventure where both would fit perfectly, I was wondering if I am allowed to use them under the rules of the OGL, and what I should call them if they are permitted.
The same question goes for the Avatar of Ydersius (a wholly different campaign, but nonetheless). Would I be allowed to write the creature into the official adventure, and what should I call it?
Generally, the OGL does not allow use of specific individual creatures or plot points involving them. It applies to game mechanics, not story elements. Beyond that brief comment, if you intend to share/publish your work, then you need to be talking to a lawyer about the possible issues.
If Cassilda and/or the Pallid Mask are themselves from another source no longer under copyright, you may be able to use the NAMES, but not how they specifically work in Pathfinder adventures, or their history within Strange Aeons... hence, again, the lawyer.
I am not a lawyer and the following is not legal advice...
My understanding is that if an element is designated as Product Identity in an OGL product, then that element is not available to other publishers under the OGL.
If you're writing this for yourself, or if you're planning to share it for free under Paizo's Community Use Policy, then I think you'll be fine.
However, if you're going to try to sell it under OGL, then you really should consult with an attorney who's familiar with publishing, contracts, and intellectual property (IP) law.
Both Robert Chambers' The King In Yellow and all of Lovecraft's works are all in the public domain, so you shouldn't run into trouble with either estate for using names and characters from those works.
Keep in mind, though, that a lot of Cthulhu-related lore that's now in pop culture were written by other authors, whose works are still under copyright. Most are licensed by Chaosium for use in the Call of Cthulhu RPG; Chaosium licensed out many elements to Paizo for Strange Aeons... which I think is one reason there are ads for Chaosium products in the backpages of the AP.
Bottom line: If you're going to try to make money using any IP you did not come up with by yourself, you really need to work with a lawyer, or you're setting yourself up to get sued.
Hi there. I'm a guy who likes writing adventures and I have a few questions pertaining to some specific monsters.
As soon as I got my hands on Strange Aeons part six, I fell in love with the concepts of Cassilda and the Pallid Mask. As I am writing an adventure where both would fit perfectly, I was wondering if I am allowed to use them under the rules of the OGL, and what I should call them if they are permitted.
The same question goes for the Avatar of Ydersius (a wholly different campaign, but nonetheless). Would I be allowed to write the creature into the official adventure, and what should I call it?
If all else fails, ask the publisher. They should be able to answer you. Mind you, I am assuming that what you are writing is for a Pathfinder Compatible Publisher.
1) To use them as-is, then as Mr. McCoy noted, you'd probably have to get explicit permission from Paizo.
2) That said, you might be able to use them in an 'anonymous' form - renamed and described a bit differently - if you're okay with that route. Typically, even when specific creatures' names are Product Identity, their actual statblock isn't. If you were merely doing something similar, you could probably do this without trouble, though you would (of course) want to have an expert doublecheck it to be sure.